RoyalBlu

In Portage County, Thursday night. Interesting.

Excellent job Zips ... maybe best MAC win of the night.

Hours before the season opener I'm guessing the best-case scenario for the Zips and Ali Ali is he will be cleared by the NCAA to play starting the second semester. Rumored transfer issues re: academics seems to hold some water at this point as he would have been cleared to play long before now if he was a grad student, either at the time of his transfer or at the end of the summer sessions. What's not known is if there were any extenuating circumstances that played to Akron/Ali's benefit with the NCAA to grant immediate eligibility with a second transfer. Traditionally this would be transferring back to his home state to be closer to family for any number of reasons. BUT, Ali is transferring away from his home state to be back at Akron. Which is against the norm. Also what's not known is how much or how little Butler is helping this process, although Groce and Butler coach Matta have a long-standing relationship. Whatever the outcome, overall, typical NCAA foot-dragging that does not seem to happen much further up the D1 totem pole. Then again, Ali could be cleared to play by game time tonight!!!

Agree this is a 'challenging' schedule with many 'maybe' games. But let's not fool ourselves. Zips will have to run the non-conference table to even get into the conversation out being a potential at-large/Cinderella team. While truly 'challenging' there is no magic bullet (P6) upset opportunity on this schedule this year that would carry any weight into the post season, even for the NIT. As stated many times ... season comes down to three days in March.

Absolutely ...

I sense a lot of 'hope' but no explicit confidence from Groce on having Ali Ali this season. Anyone read it differently?

Interesting: Coaches see Zips as dominant with 11 first place votes and a 17-point spread between first and second place. Next biggest spread is 8-points between No. 5 NIU and No. 6 BG/Miami. Basically a top and bottom league.

The MAC is considered a 'guards' league ... but interesting that teams with the best 'proven returning guards' are picked third and fifth by the coaches. ... I believe Akron is a certain title contender, but with talented but unproven guards and still undetermined Ali Ali situation, the closer it gets to the start of the season the more uneasy it all seems.

Would really like to know what the 'secret scrimmage' format was: Was it a 'game scrimmage' w/20-minute halfs and a break in between. Was it officiated? Was the scrimmage 2 20-minute halfs, 1-on-1s, 2-on-2s. Officiated? Was it more structured? 20-min man-to-man, 20-min zone and so forth? Was it fully officiated. As you can see, these 'secret scrimmages' can have a variety of formats. So the final 'score' may not be really indicative of a true 'game' score. And again, officiating (or none) could make a difference as well. In the end, not too bummed about the score.

I know nothing ... (wish I did) ... I am questioning if he is eligible. I haven't seen or heard any official or unofficial word either from this board or from the athletic department. That's why I hedged a bit on Zips being consensus MAC favorites. Like I said ... Zips are certainly MAC favorites w/Ali, but just one of several contenders w/o him. Hoping for the best ... but just my opinion.

The big unknown ... X2. Was Ali Ali a participant in the YSU scrimmage, and has there been any confirmation Ali Ali is eligible for the season? Having asked those questions I will say the Zips should still be solid contenders to win the MAC, but perhaps not solid favorites as they are now w/o Ali. That said, there truly is no solid MAC favorite, if the Zips aren't it. Ali lifts Akron above Ohio, Toledo and Portage, his loss just puts the Zips beside those three. At that point, the deciding factor is the best coach among the four. Hmmmm. Wouldn't want to put that to a vote (even knowing the answer) to keep from delivering bulletin board material.

My guess is Zips or DePaul ... Akron only out of state team on his list, DePaul the only power conference team. All others pretty much the same.

If Zips are going to scrimmage YSU ... why don't we play them. Easy game for both. Ditto Cleveland State.

It's not unusual for a player to make a major jump between freshman and sophomore year once they have had time to process what they have gone through take one step back so to speak then take two steps forward. The sad part is the portal encourages quick exits before the player has a chance to go through the entire 'freshman' process. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back at the D1 level before his college career is done.

BG is the team to watch ... most new coaches to the MAC underestimate the competitiveness of the league, and the fact most teams have more than one 'rivalry game.' Losing skids can happen fast to the unaware, but this coach and the AD who hired him know the MAC. Would not be surprised to see BG as a Top 4 MAC Tournament seed, and a tough out in Cleveland.

Akron is by far the most accomplished program on that list. I'm guessing it's really a 2-team race: DePaul and Zips.

Less than a month before games begin. With no MAC media day to trigger conversation/debate here is one pre-season MAC prediction. 1. Akron - All the pieces in play with or w/o Ali Ali. 2. Toledo - Until proven otherwise, still a power. Is TK changing offense with a pair of 6-10 post players? 3. Ohio - Not much interior size, but tons of guards and wings that can score. 4. Kent - Maybe not the best, but teams will have to go through them to win it all. 5. B. Green - A proven new head coach with proven transfer talent coming in. 6. NIU - Quietly building a solid program that could tickle 20-wins. 7. Ball St. - Lost a lot of top tier talent to the portal. Lots of unknowns 8. Miami - Rebuilding program should be tough at home. 9. Buffalo - How the mighty have fallen. 10. Eastern Michigan - Like BSU, lost a lot to portal/NBA. 11. Central Michigan - Chips always have talent, but just can't seem to keep them around. 12. Western Michigan - Some veteran players of interest but lacking much depth. Overall: If the top six teams all become 20-game winners - and the bottom three are good for 10 or 12 wins - the league should be fairly strong overall. If 2/3 teams at the top can somehow break out that would be special as well.

Your point ... is on point. Bowling Green, 2002 I believe beat Michigan and had a strong non-con record, but lost three games to Kent (E8) and was snubbed for an at-large. In the Bracket Buster years I believe Miami defeated a top tier Mid-Major (can't remember who) and was snubbed. So there truly is no guarantee teams like 2018 Buffalo would have gotten an at-large if needed, based on NCAA selection history. ... What would be interesting, however, is seeing what happens when 2 or more MAC teams pull off non-con upsets then rank in Top 60 or so KenPom going into the MAC Tournament. Would that be enough to get that second bid?

My last thought ... Hope I didn't mislead. I'm not saying the schedule is indicative of 2023-24 expectations. I am saying, with expectations this justifiably high, why not take a couple of shots at an upset. (BTW, to your point, the selection committee will say in March, to somebody but not necessarily the Zips, why didn't you play a 'tougher' schedule instead of 2 non D1s. Effectively measuring what is a very creditable UA schedule by the fact it does not have any P5s on it. Is that right? No Is that reality? Yes.

And just to be clear, gaining an a-large can be done WITH THIS SCHEDULE. But it means almost exclusively running the non-conference slate (and MAC slate), and then have most of those non-con teams in turn win/contend in their respective leagues. (I think Portage did this the year they were a No. 8 seed). But to me this scenario is much harder to do and is predicated on the ability of multiple other teams to step up as well. IMO, winning 1/2 PC games in non-conference, when you have a quality coach like Groce and a senior-laden team like this one, would be an easier challenge.

Everything you say is true ... except for one thing. The schedule hardly matters WHEN YOU LOSE. But if you play a top end schedule, AND WIN one or two of those top end games, you now stand a legit chance at being an at-large. MAC teams that have put themselves in that position (UB most recently) have won the MAC Tournament, keeping the MAC one-bid. That does not diminish the fact UB was primed to be an at-large, if needed. Again, not saying the schedule is bad. Far from it, and we have seen much worse over the years. Just saying not giving this team A CHANCE to make a splash in non-conference in my mind is a missed opportunity. We're only talking 1/2 games.

Not to be a debbie downer, as it's hard to disagree with Groce and what any reasonable MAC fan can see as well... but I just don't think the schedule - while solid - reflects the expectations inside and outside the program. It doesn't take much (see Portage Co. last season) to take a couple of chances on the road with a team like this to try and hit a home run. Worst case scenario, strength of schedule doesn't dry up even with a loss, as long as Zips hold serve where expected. And even quality losses (5-points or less) have shelf life, nationally, as the season wears on. Evidence: There are still national references to NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA from two years ago when talking about this team. Again, Solid schedule to be sure ... but a one-bid schedule IMO without running the MAC Tournament table.

True ... but ... as I understand it the key to a second - third- fourth- transfer and immediate eligibility is to already graduate. And it's my understanding Ali (when he transferred back to Akron) had not graduated. Has he graduated since then? I don't know. If he has, he should be eligible. If he has not, then he has to appeal, and that is not an automatic yes ... If he graduates at the semester break, will he be eligible then? I have no answers, just questions. PS ... With or without him, this should be a MAC/NCAA contender.

If this is official, it seems Ali Ali does not have to sit out as a second-time transfer, which is great news for the Zips.